drinking in the living room - Page 3

[velochic]

Our dd is 8, as well, and we still use sippy  tupperware lids (not the toddler sippy cups) for things like milk that for some odd reason are not consumed in the kitchen (very, very rarely).  Outside of the kitchen, we really only drink water (or sometimes dh and I relax on the couch with a glass of wine).  Dd doesn't have issues with spilling, and I keep my water glass next to me on the couch where dd can pick it up and drink from it.  She doesn't walk around with the glass, but comes to the glass, takes a drink and sits it back down.  We require coasters, so you can't just walk around with your drink and sit it down anywhere you want, anyway.

I'd just restrict drinking to small cups of water, so if spills occur, then there is no problem.  I can't imagine why spilling water anywhere would be an issue.

[sapphire_chan]

Do you have tables, or surfaces that can function like tables, near the comfortable seating in your living room? If not, I'd set that up and then remind her to use them until it becomes a habit.

My two year old will try to set her cups down on the couch if left her her own devices, but if I make sure there's a table she can reach and remind her to use it, she uses the stable surface instead. I bet an 8 year old could learn pretty quickly to take care of her glasses herself.

And once that's in place, I'd have her responsible for cleaning up spills. Because once there's a good place to set cups there's no excuse for putting them where they can be easily spilled. So if it's something sticky or staining or both, cleaning up could involve paying to have the cushions washed.

[4evermom]

I voted other.  Ds uses a water bottle with a sports lid most of the time.  For other beverages, I'd get your dd a travel mug like people use for coffee.  Also, my ds likes to drink from straws.  I think that minimizes spillage because he tends to leave the cup on the table and isn't handling it as much.  When kids visit, I tend to tell them to come into the kitchen (which is just off the living room) and leave the cup on the counter.  With multiple kids leaving open cups around something always spills...  

[leighi123]

My ds is allowed drinks in the living room, but only water and he is only allowed to keep it at his little table, not walk around with it.   (all food and drink must be at a table/kitchen counter/outside)

[elisheva]

My kids are much younger but our drinks stay at the dining room table unless they are in a reusable water bottle - those only contain water and they get dragged around the house. DH and I drink coffee and water all over the house and I guess I don't see it as a double standard. We're generally less likely to spill.

[enjoythesilence]

I voted 'other' because I like the covered/sport bottle option. In our house, the grown-ups get to have drinks in the living room, and the kids keep theirs in the dining area. I had to institute this policy because my little ones are big drink spillers, and the carpet was suffering badly. It's not even a nice carpet, but it was starting to smell because of all the spills. When they are all a little older, I will relax on this one. For us, it's not a cosmetic issue, it's that we don't need mold growing in the carpet.

[Agatha_Ann]

Originally Posted by Alyantavid 

My 8 year old spills alot too.

We keep all food and drinks in the kitchen (dh and I can and do eat elsewhere), except on movie night.  Then they have pop and popcorn in the living room. I just watch alot and make sure they're aware of where things are.  They do pretty well for the most part.

This is our house exactly. The kids keep food and drink in the kitchen, other then the rogue sippy cup and of course movie night. DH and I eat wherever we want, DH drinks outside the kitchen, but I rarely do. A big part of this though is that I do have a daycare and having 10 (give or take) kids running around with food and drink would create much much more work for me. We do have different rules for daycare kids and my own kids, but my 2 yr old is too little to always get that, so I try to keep it consistent all the time.

If at your house though, you don't mind drinks outside of the kitchen, I would either restrict her to water, or get her a special cup that won't spill quite so easy.
 

[MrsBone]

I voted that she should not be able to drink outside the kitchen but everyone else can. The rules don't have to apply to everyone in the household just to be "fair." If no on else has a problem with spilling drinks, they should be able to have the freedom to drink drinks anywhere. If anything, this will give her the incentive to try and be more careful so she can have the same privileges as everyone else. Of course, I don't have an 8 year old, so take this advice with a grain of salt I suppose :)

[MrsBone]

That said, our kitchen is tiny, and has slate floors which is great for spills, but the dining, living and everywhere else in the house pretty much besides the kids bedrooms are wood floors. So, It's hard for me to limit where my 2 year old drinks..he is still using a sippy though, so it's not a big deal. If he eats and drinks at the table, he's still hovering over a rug, and wood floors, so to me it doesn't really make much of a difference where he drinks his drink.. and we have leather furniture, so messes are a breeze to clean up. I guess it depends. I wouldn't want to confine everyone to the kitchen to drink, since there's nowhere to sit, and if I'm in there trying to do something, everyone would just be in the way.